Rotatable clothes drier



" Sept. 6, 1938. R. J. JENKS I 2 ROTATABLE CLOTHES DRIER- Filed March 29, 957

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6. f, fi EH21 BY WA ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel type of rotatable clothes rack for drying washed clothes.

It is a feature of this invention to provide a rack structure consisting of a normally unstable standard which is adapted to be rendered stable by extensible engagement with the fioor and ceiling, and in combination with this feature, there is provided a rotatable rack structure which is operable irrespective of the manner or extent to which adjustment has been made of the extensible standard.

It is a furtherfeature to provide the standard with a yielding engagement member whereby it 5 will be placed under stress when the standard has been extensibly adjusted to thereby more effectively hold the standard in firm engagement with the floor and ceiling.

A novel feature consists in the combination with the standard, of a sleeve rotatable thereon, and the provision of a series of clothes racks mounted on the sleeve.

A further feature resides in providing a supporting anti-friction bearing for the sleeve with one section thereof connected with the sleeve and the other section connected with the standard, the arrangement being such that the anti-friction bearing will not only support the sleeve in position but will also retain the same in concentric relation with the standard.

The invention has many other objects and features which will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing and which will be more particularly pointed out in and by the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation with the rack bars extended and showing the structure in engagement with the fioor and ceiling.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of one of the rack bar holding heads.

Fig. 5 is an end view of one of the rack bar holding arms.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the drawing.

As shown, the rack structure includes a rod-' like standard I provided with a tubular upper end 2. The standard is provided with a yielding and unstable floor engaging base and supporting member, which, as shown, consists of a U- shaped strip of preferably yielding material such as spring steel, the base having a central portion or bight 3 and depending feet 4, which latter engage the floor and serve to elevate the bight 3 thereabove. The lower end of standard I, extends through bight 3 and is shown secured there- 5 to and supported thereon by collars 5 and 6.

This base is not of a character that will support the standard 9 in a stable upright position and I will next describe an interdependent feature whereby the structure is maintained stable. 10

A ceiling head, which may be a disc I, is adapted for engagement with the ceiling 8, and the same is providedwith a stem 9 which telescopes the tubular upper end 2, of the standard I. Thus it will be seen that the ceiling head structure 15 forms a part of the standard, and renders the same extensible for rooms of different height.

A suitable set screw H), serves to hold the stem in adjusted positions. Now it will be clear that when the standard is extended lengthwise tolqgo engage the head with the ceiling, such "engagement will serve to stabilize the standard in a rigid upright position. Further, and because of the yielding nature of the base member, it is not necessary to extend the standard under so much stress as otherwise because the recoil of the yielding base afiords such a sustained contact of the base and ceiling members with the floor and ceiling, respectively.

It is a feature of this invention to provide ago rotatable clothes rack structure that is also an extensible one, and it is a very special feature to so construct the mechanism that the rotatable feature will always be available and will not interfere with the extensible feature irrespective 35 of the extent of adjustment of the latter, within its adjustable capacity.

The rotatable feature is embodied by means of a rotatable casing or sleeve H and it is important to notethe fact that the upper end i2 40 of the sleeve, is sufiiciently below the tubular end 2, so as not to interfere with any extensible adjustment within the capacity of the standard. Yet the capacity of the racks for the clothes, is in no way reduced, as will later appear. Itis 45 a feature of the invention to provide anti-friction means to not only support the sleeve and reduce friction but to also hold the sleeve in concentric relation to the standard.

As shown, I have provided an anti-friction ball 50 bearing which is in sections, and one section I3 is fixed to the standard I, at Hi, just above the base member. The remaining section I5, is flanged at I6 to engage the lower end of sleeve II and directly receive the supporting thrust and also to 55 hold the sleeve in concentric relation to the standard, as will now be clear. Anti-friction balls H are interposed between the sections I3 and I5, as is usual. Near the upper end of sleeve II, I provide a centering means which may consist of a collar I8, secured to standard I, and having a flange l9 for engagement with the interior of sleeve I I, to retain the upper end thereof in concentric relation with said standard. The novel feature, or at least one novel feature of this structure is that because of the predominant function performed by the ball bearing, it is not essential to have an anti-friction device near the top of sleeve l I, as will now be clear.

The sleeve ll, carries a plurality of rack bar heads, two in number in this disclosure, one being indicated at 20, which is uppermost, and the other at 2|, which is lowermost. As these heads are identical in form and function, only one need be described in detail, reference being made to Figs. 2, 4 and 5.

The head includes a collar 22, suitably secured, as by set screws 23 to sleeve H. From this collar radiates a plurality of arms 24, of a number equal to the number of rack entities with which the structure is equipped. Each arm terminates in a forked holder, the forked portions being indicated at 25, and transversely thereof, these holders are suitably recessed at 26. Below the lowermost head 2|, is a supporting head 21, secured in place by means such as a set screw 28. This head has a plurality of arms 29, radiating therefrom, equal in number to arms 24, but having pivot lugs 35.

Reference will next be made to the rack bars for supporting the clothes to be dried, and the manner in which these bars are mounted.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, I have shown eight entities of rack bars each composing a series of coacting bars, and I will refer to only one entity of bars as all are alike in function and structure. The upper bar 3| is shown in a horizontal position and is of a thickness adapted to fit between the forked terminal of an arm 24, as shown in Fig. 4. The inner end of the rack bar is provided with oppositely projecting pins 32, adapted to seat in the recessed portion 26 to afford support for the inner end of the rack bar and permit ready detachment by hand from said recessed portion, as will now be clear.

The outer end of bar 3|, is pivoted at 33 to a vertically disposed spacing rod 34, the lower end of which is pivoted at 35 to a lower rack bar 36 and to a supporting rod 31. The inner end of bar 36, is detachably connected with an arm of head 22, in the same manner as bar 3 l, and need not be further described. The lower end of supporting bar 31 is pivoted at 38 to one of the lugs 30, of arm 29, previously described.

Thus, one complete rack entity has been described, and it will now be readily apparent how the inner ends of bars 3! and 36 may be detached from heads 20 and 2i, and folded, with rods 34 and 31, against sleeve l l, in any desired order.

When the rack entities are extended, as shown in Fig. 3, a large capacity for clothes is afforded, and as the clothes are taken from the wringer and successively placed or hung upon the various bars 3| and 36, the latter may be rotated, step by step, to facilitate bringing empty rack entities into an accessible position near the wringer. Any suitable source of heat may be employed to facilitate drying of the clothes, if desired.

It will now be clear that I have provided a structure which occupies very little space when not in service, and an important part of this feature is that the standard is normally unstable, whereby the base can be of small size, and whereby in adjustment, the parts can be stabilized by engaging the floor and the ceiling.

It is believed that the invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description, and while I have herein shown one specific form of the invention, I do not wish to be limited thereto except for such limitations as the claim may import.

I claim:

In a clothes drying rack structure, a rod-like standard having a tubular upper end, a U-shaped base having its bight fixed to the lower end of said standard and provided with feet for engagement with the floor to elevate said bight and said base being of yielding material, a ceiling engaging head-plate having a stem' telescoping said tubular upper end of said standard, means for securing said stem in any desired extensible relation to said standard to engage said head-plate with the ceiling and impose stress on said yielding base to render said standard stable, a sleeve rotatable on said standard and having its upper end disposed below said means whereby said standard may be adjusted to any height room without interference by said sleeve, an antifriction supporting bearing composed of sections and one section being connected with the lower end of said sleeve and the remaining section being connected with said standard above said yielding base to maintain the lower end of said sleeve in concentric relation with said standard, a centering flange on said standard near the upper end of said sleve for maintaining the latter concentric with said standard, and collapsible clothes racks mounted on said sleeve whereby said racks may be manually rotated.

RANSAELLER J. JENKS. 

